March 10 - Redoubling Our Efforts on National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

By Tina Tchen, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Executive Director of the Council on Women and Girls, (Cross-posted from the White House Office of National AIDS Policy Blog)

(Left to right) Moderator Rosie Perez, Dr. Howard Koh (HHS), Tina Tchen (White House Council on Women and Girls), Janet Cleveland (CDC) and Amna Osma (Michigan Department of Community Health) participate in a briefing on HIV/AIDS and women

Today, we commemorate the 5th annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to participate in a briefing held by the National Alliance for State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) and the HHS Office on Women's Health with important leaders in Congress. The event highlighted how the domestic epidemic is affecting women and how much we need to maintain our commitment to addressing this public health issue.

The statistics are sobering: Every 35 minutes, a woman tests positive for HIV in the United States. While women in the U.S. represented 8 percent of AIDS diagnoses in the 1980's, they now account for 27 percent. The HIV epidemic in the U.S. disproportionately impacts women of color: HIV/AIDS is one of the leading causes of death among black women and Latinas. Compared to white women, the AIDS case rate is 5 times higher for Latinas and 20 times higher for black women. Clearly, we must redouble our prevention efforts as well as improve care and treatment for women living with HIV.

Reaching the Right People with the Right Tools for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

By Deb LeBel

I recently had a conversation with LaMont “Montee” Evans of Healthy Black Communities to talk about plans for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). On February 7, 2010, the nation will recognize NBHAAD for the 10th year. Evans serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Healthy Black Communities, Inc., the lead organization on the Strategic Leadership Council (SLC) which plans and directs this day annually. This year’s theme is “HIV/AIDS Prevention: A Choice and Lifestyle.”

In thinking about the longevity of this observance, I wondered how SLC’s methods and strategies have changed over time. My thoughts went to Forrester Research’s POST model, which we’ve mentioned before — so I asked Montee to talk briefly about the people they are trying to reach for NBHAAD, their objectives and strategies, and what tools best meet their needs.

Help for Haiti

By Miguel Gomez

The earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, caused devastating damage and cost thousands of lives in and around the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Our heartfelt condolences are with those feeling the repercussions of the this tragedy around the world, including members of our own AIDS.gov team.

A Conversation with the Director of the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health

Guest post by JoAnne Keatley, Director of the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health

The transgender community has been disproportionately affected by HIV, and often faces challenges finding and accessing appropriate services. JoAnne Keatley, Director of the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health , is one of the leaders in the larger national conversation about increasing access to culturally competent healthcare for transgender people. At AIDS.gov, we are committed to working with leadership in the transgender community to support this important work, and to consider how new media might play a role in extending the reach of programs. We asked JoAnne to tell us a bit more about the work that she and the Center are doing. Here’s what JoAnne had to say:

JoAnne Keatley, Director of the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health

Q: Please tell us a bit more about yourself.

A: I was born in Mexico City in 1951. I came to the United States when I was eight and grew up in Los Angeles with my mother and six siblings. We struggled quite a bit because Mom was a single parent. In spite of the challenges we faced, I learned to be resilient and to appreciate the strength in family. It is one of the things I love about being Latina! I returned to school as an adult and received an MSW from UC Berkeley in my late 40s. It’s never too late! I identify as female, transgender, and heterosexual. My work today involves managing a portfolio of Pacific AIDS Education & Training Center minority focused training projects and directing the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health . These dual roles allow me to bring forth my years of experience addressing HIV risk behavior in underserved populations.

Looking Towards the Future with Mobile

By Jeremy Vanderlan, AIDS.gov Web Developer

In the past week, text messaging to raise funds for earthquake relief in Haiti demonstrated the potential of mobile phones to offer simple solutions to help those in need. The emergence of smart phones , mapping technology and mobile applications has dramatically increased mobile use — a recent poll from the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 83% of adults surveyed have some type of cell phone . At AIDS.gov, we asked ourselves what we should be doing to integrate mobile technology into our work on public health, HIV/AIDS, and new media. I recently attended the Gov Goes Mobile workshop, gave a presentation on some of our work at AIDS.gov, and heard take-away messages from leaders in the field.